The kidneys cleanse the blood of harmful substances and help to excrete nitrogen - important for the health of your feline friend. If your cat has kidney problems, they should be treated as soon as possible.
An absolute emergency is acute kidney damage, which must be treated immediately by a vet. The cat passes less urine, usually followed by severe thirst. It shows pain in the abdominal and loin area and dark or even bloody urine.
The cat's general condition is usually severely impaired, it appears listless and no longer wants to eat. This dramatic illness can occur as a result of an accident with high blood loss, after severe infections, but also after poisoning with heavy metals, antifreeze or medication.
Emergency veterinary care with infusions and diuretic medication is important first, followed by treatment of the underlying disease, if necessary with several weeks of antibiotic therapy.
If the kidneys are chronically damaged, they can no longer fully perform their two main tasks of concentrating urine and excreting urinary substances. Cats then suffer from chronic hypofunction of the kidneys (insufficiency). It is one of the most common causes of death in older cats over the age of ten.
The problem with chronic kidney hypofunction is that it is progressive, i.e. the destruction of the kidney tissue cannot be stopped. As the urinary substances that are toxic in the animal's body are no longer excreted, the animal poisons itself, so to speak.
The affected animals are then clearly ill. They are not hungry, sleep a lot, tend to vomit and have diarrhea and lose weight, andthe vet must always be consulted if these signs of illness occur.
Is a cat with kidney problems in pain? The ancestors of our domestic cats had to hide their pain in the wild so that they would not be vulnerable to predators. Even today, cats rarely show that they are in pain. In the case of kidney problems, cat owners often only notice at an advanced stage that their velvet paw is unwell by its behavior. Palpation of the kidneys by the vet can be painful for sick animals.
The treatment for chronic renal insufficiency is varied, but always includes the administration of a diet. Kidney diets are essential to reduce the levels of urinary substances in the blood. Renal diets contain less protein than conventional diets so that less urea is formed in the protein metabolism.
This can lower the urea content in the blood. In addition, the phosphorus content is also reduced in order to delay the progressive destruction of the kidney tissue. animonda Integra Protect Kidney is a tasty kidney diet available for cats as wet food and dry food.